| Updated: 6/06/2008 8:38 am |
Published: 6/05/2008 5:17 pm |
Little Rock Animal Services are taking unregistered pit bulls out of backyards. It’s part of a new ordinance, requiring pit bulls to be registered as a potentially dangerous breed. Thousands of owners have failed to register.
One pit bull stands tied to his dog house in south Little Rock. Until Little Rock animal services and police arrive.
“We've given notice to these people and they have failed to comply," says Tracy Roark with animal services.
These dogs are unregistered, unsterilized and chained.
"We're proud; we're getting some dogs off chains," said Roark.
Little Rock's potentially dangerous breed ordinance took effect last month. A handful of owners stepped up and paid to have their pups registered, but thousands more have not.
"It's sad that they had to live their life like that," said Roark. “You could see how excited they were and they're going on a truck. First thing we're going to do is feed them real good, get them clean water and a clean place to lay."
As police and animal services go from home to home, they are finding, in some instances, that the homeowner says he wasn't aware that an ordinance existed.
Goins asks: "So you'd never heard the city was doing this ordinance?" Owner says: "In North Little Rock, not Little Rock."
But he knows now.
Goins asks: "After this do you plan to register her and do all the proper paperwork so you can keep her?" Owner says: "I’ll do anything for my dog, she'll do anything for me."
The Humane Society of the United States is backing Little Rock's ordinance. Animal services say owners have to register or they will lose their dogs.
According to animal services, they picked up one unregistered pit bull from a home owned by Little Rock school board member Dianne Curry. Terry Roark says the dog was located in the backyard. It was so vicious they had to tranquilize it in order to take it in.
Roark also says from outside animal services workers could see at least three more pit bulls inside the home, but without authority to go inside they were not taken. It’s not known if these dogs were registered. Curry was not at the home when animal services dropped in. FOX16 could not reach her for comment.
Owners were cited for failure to register, license and for chaining their dog. Owners have ten days to claim their dog at animal services and pay any court fees. Animal services does not adopt out pit bulls.
